Arty's Little Sister
by Darksword13
Summary: I adopted this fic from Lady Cocoa made a few changes. Only Max died instead of the whole Flock(something had to happen for them to get adopted by the Fowls) and it's set during the lost colony on Mr. and Mrs. Fowl's timeline sometime before Artemis returns from limbo with the whole demon island.
1. Adopted?

I woke up as Miss Seleca shook me. "Up and at 'em," she whispered. "Breakfast in 20." It reminded me of a better time. It was the exact same thing Max said the morning I was- nevermind. It's too complicated to explain. I sat up, hitting my head on the ceiling as Miss Seleca made the rounds in my dorm room. I would never get used to that.

Our dorm consisted of 10 people, all wearing the same flannel gray pajamas. I knew one or two of them better than others, but they were all great friends. Who wouldn't be best buds with them after seven years?

Each of the girls was the same age as me, 7, and we had slept in this same room from age six.

The room consisted of five bunk beds, two closets, and a bathroom with a miniscule shower. This didn't really matter to me, as I was only four foot nine. A miniscule shower for a miniscule person.

I wasn't always so tiny for my age. I used to be pretty tall, actually. But when puberty came I was changed in...different ways.

Instead of acne, or growing spurts, I stopped growing and one of my powers went out of control. You see, I can change my appearance. But my eye color is not up to me anymore. It changes every morning, so I can never know what will come next.

Today they were violet. Not exactly a natural color. Sometimes my eyes did that. Some people have blue eyes, or brown eyes, or green eyes, but I have purple eyes. Lucky me.

Hailei and Em, my two best friends, did not fail to notice this. In fact, they were the ones to point it out. "Hey Angel, you're eyes are kind of-" Hailei was cut off by Em, who finished with "Purple today."

"Really? At least they're not pink anymore. That was sooo weird," I sid. They nodded in agreements. The rest of the girls, Remy, Lucelia, Vicky, Eleanor, maya, Liz and Cathie were waking up now. We all know each other's secrets, ALL of them, and were as close as close could be.

Miss Seleca exited the room, and 80% of us were wide awake by then. Namely, all of us who hit our heads on the ceiling. I hoped the others would wake up soon, because we couldn't leave for breakfast until we were all dressed and ready. If not, all the fresh food in the cafeteria would be gone and I would be stuck with yesterday's porridge.

Miss Nelly's Home for Children was nicer than most orphanages, but it was still an orphanage. We still had no real parents and no real home.

Miss Nelly was a not-exactly-thin-as-a-stick woman who had a problem with makeup and an obsession with chocolate truffles (remind you of anyone?). She was fairly nice, but would still hit you with a ruler if you cussed or misbehaved (Fang always had a problem with that, so did Ig and Gaz).

My dorm mates and I filed into a line and briskly walked out the door. I was in the back, looking up at Hailei's head. I was about to tell her about my dream, but decided it would be better table conversation.

Lucelia led us down several flights of brick stairs. Our blue flats clicked loudly against the stone floor. Judging from the silence, we were either the first ones up or the last. Apparently is was the latter, because Miss Nelly cuffed us all on the ears the moment we walked into the cafeteria.

"You know what this means," she said snidely, sneering at us. "You have clean-up duty today. Then she looked down on me. "Except you." She walked away quickly, stopping only to say, "Meet me in my office after you finish breakfast. We have a special SURPRISE for you.

I swallowed slowly, walking towards the food line. Yesterday's porridge indeed.

TIME LAPSE

"Don't worry guys. If I don't come, the punishment will just be worse. I'll come back alive, maybe a bit bruised, but I'll be fine. I have to face it sometime," I comforted my friends. There were many whines of protest, but I just said, "See ya," and strode out of the room.

I walked with my chin held high. I had endured years of merciless experiments and tests and needles poked into me. Surely I could endure a few brief moments of screaming and slapping

Still not sure what I was being punished for, I carried on with a skip in mystep. THE SOONER I GET THIS OVER WITH, THE BETTER, I thought.

My wings shuffled a bit in the loose fabric of my dress. No, I'm not a fairy. Or an angel. Well, maybe a little bit. I grew up in a science lab called the School. I was lucky, as I was rescued by Jeb Batchelder. But the thing is, he kind of betrayed us and kidnapped me. The rest of my family-or Flock-came to save me, but their mission never succeeded. Max died a few weeks later.

I escaped at one point with Fang Iggy Gazzy and Nudge, and we stumbled across an orphanage. We cautiously walked in. Maybe we could find someone who could love us for who we were eventually.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts of this, as if I could actually shake off thoughts by doing that. Finally, I reached Miss Nelly's door. The rest of the Flock was waiting outside. "Are we all in trouble?" I asked."

"I don't think so," Fang answered. He'd been really depressed since Max...you know. Out of all of us, he took the hardest hit from that.

"Will you all come in now?" Miss Nelly's voice came from inside her office.I straighened my dress and hair, only then turning the knob and leading the Flock inside.

A woman's unfamiliar thoughts ran by me. Something about a young boy my age and a large stone mansion, scattered with thoughts of two identical little boys. I stopped my mind from wandering into her head. Long ago had I realized that invading someone's privacy was not the correct thing to do. Only once in a while, for fun, would I allow the random thoughts to swirl around my head.

As we entered the room, I noticed several unusual things. Miss Nelly was smilling, her desk was actually ORGANIZED, and there was a blonde-haired woman sitting in the seat across from hers. I took one look at Miss Nelly's face and without reading her thoughts I could already tell that she had been saying some nasty things about us.

The unfamiliar woman turned around in her chair, grinning pleasantly. "Nick, Jeff, Zephyr, Krystal, Angel," the orphanage owner said said slowly. "I would like you to meet your new adoptive mother."


	2. What's with all the smiles?

"What?" Gazzy asked, confused. We're being adopted? The blonde woman stood up and smiled again at us with kind eyes. What's with all these smiles?

"I was just going to adopt you, Angel, but I heard how close of a group you all were and couldn't stand to have to separate you. Anyways, I'm going to be your adoptive mother. My name is Angeline Fowl, which makes you all Fowls once the paperwork is done. Please, call me Angeline-or mom." I stared at her dumbfounded.

Suddenly, it struck me how touching this moment was. We would finally have a real family, a real home. Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over. Not knowing what to do, I rushed toward Mrs. Fowl and hugged her. "Thank you," I whispered. Soon, everyone but Fang was hugging Mrs. Fowl. We all pulled back a moment later.

The moment was gone, along with the tears. I was calm and composed then, ready for whatever came next. The closer we got to this family, the harder it would be when they were gone. Or when we were gone. The School could always find us again.

Nudge straightened up, asking, "So what happens now?"

"Now you scurry off and pack up while Mrs. Fowl does some paperwork," Miss Nelly said. Mrs. Fowl just waved at us as we exited the room.

I heard her think, WELL, THEY'LL GET ALONG PERFECTLY WITH MYLES AND BECKETT. ALMOST NO EMOTIONS THERE, I'M SURE I CAN WARM THEM UP, THOUGH. Well, that may take awhile. I isn't very easy to earn the Flock's trust, or mine.

I walked briskly up to my dorm behind the others as they went to their own, feeling almost no emotion. Maybe Mrs. Fowl was right about us. And maybe she was wrong. I felt emotions, but they were buried deep down. VERY deep.

There was only a few things that I could actually consider mine to pack. The rest was just borrowed. We were permitted to pack three uniforms for our trips. I had two things taht belonged to me: a lock of hair and a journal and pen. I know that the hair sounds weird, but it was a reminder of who I was, and who I had become.

I grasped the golden lock in my fist, letting it fall back into a plastic Ziploc bag, then placing the bag inside a tote bag.

The journal was hidden under my pillow. It was more of a notebook than a journal, really. It was filled to the brim with sketches of the Flock. My REAL family.

I opened it to the first page. There was Max, standing in front of an empty fridge. I turned the page. Fang, eating cereal. Iggy staring blindly out over a cliff, even though he technically couldn't stare. Nudge with a hand on her chin, reading a Harry Potter book. Ah, a few blissful moments of silence I used to cherish with her but had now become too common. I flipped to the next page.

Gazzy, my older brother, his Pokémon cards spread out in front of him on the kitchen table.

And me, flying high above the strawberry patch. Next page.

A kind-eyed man, wearing a white lab coat and square glasses. He was smiling. I closed the notebook with an audible slap of pages.

I missed Max so much, we all did. But there was nothing we could do to bring her back..

The office door opened creakily, and I heard a pencil scratching against paper. _ANGEL. 8. ALL A STUDENT. PARENTS UNKNOWN. 10,000 U.S. DOLLARS_. these thoughts ran by me as I entered the room for the second time that day. Usually that would be a bad thing, but not in the case. Miss Nelly smiled falsely at the paper, no doubt eager for money.

I stood still for a moment as both of the women signed the paper with a green pencil. Finally, Miss Nelly glanced up and noticed us, as the rest of the Flock had arrived shortly after me. She did not smile this time. Instead she gave us a cold, hard, stern look. _YOU'D BETTER NOT BE BACK HERE IN A MONTH_, she thought. Mrs. Fowl turned around in her swivel chair to see what the Nellymeister was staring so evilly at. "Hi children," she said with what I now realized seemed to be a Scottish accent.

"Are you all ready to leave? My car is parked in the lot out back."

"Yes, I am ready to leave," I said in a stiff tone. Not condescending, but formal all the same.

"Totally ready," Nudge managed a small smile.

"What are we waiting for?" Gazzy asked.

"I don't know," Iggy told him.

Fang just shrugged and shouldered his bag.

THEIR RESEMBLANCE IS STARTING TO SCARE ME, Mrs. Fowl thought. I automatically assumed she was thinking about her sons, Myles and Beckett. Who, I just realized, would be my brother.

"Good. Good…" she trailed off. She said goodbye to Miss Nelly and walked out the door while I trailed behind her.

I stared open-mouthed at what lay before us. A black stretch limousine with tinted windows, which were useless to my raptor vision. A blonde girl with a jade ring at the end of her ponytail sat behind the wheel, tapping it to a steady beat. IS THIS OUR DRIVER?

I tuned in to her thoughts, and came out surprised. The others noticed my surprise and turned to look at me. BODYGUARD, I mouthed. She was a bodyguard. For Mrs. Fowl or us, I was not sure but she was a bodyguard all the same. STRETCH LIMO, MANSION, BODYGUARD...I THINK I'M DEALING WITH A RICH FAMILY, I thought.

I quickly shut my mouth and climbed into the back, which was really more of a small, narrow room with a low ceiling, complete with a mini vending machine. The bodyguard turned around, her mouth chewing strawberry flavored bubblegum. No, her mouth was not open. Nudge and Gazzy sat on the seat next to me while Fang and Iggy settled across from us and Mrs. Fowl sat shotgun.

Nudge said a quick hello and averted her gaze to out the tinted glass. Mrs. Fowl hopped into the passenger seat and turned on the radio to a classical music station. "Juliet, you know where the airport is, right?" asked the bodyguard, who nodded her head.

"Yeah," she stated simply.

Iggy's pale face went paler and Fang's lips tightened. Nudge froze in place and Gazzy just stared.

"Wait a minute. Why are we going to the airport? Do you live out of state?" I asked.

"Oh, sorry." Mrs. Fowl smiled weakly. "Did I forget to mention that we live in Ireland?"


	3. Airplanes?

Thirty failed attempts at conversation, one bag check, and four waiting lines later, we boarded the airplane. I could already feel the vibration of power humming around me. Claustrophobia enveloped me, and my nerves shattered. As I looked beside me, the rest of the Flock was reacting similarly, grips tightening on the armrests and teeth clenching. So many people, such a tight space. I this death trap crashed, we were all dead. Except me, of course. If I could make it to the exit in time.

I gripped the seat arms harder, my knuckles turning white. My teeth clenched, and I bit down on my lip. My breathing became hard and shallow, and red spots danced before my eyes. "Sweetie, are you feeling alright?" Mrs. Fowl asked.

I smiled weakly at her and said, "Claustrophobia. But I'll be fine." Then my attention shifted ot the window, and outside, which began to move. No, WE were moving.

"Ya want some gum? It helps unclog your ears," Juliet said, holding out a piece of the minty-flavored stuff for everyone.

I shook my head when she offered it to me. My ears wouldn't clog. I'd been above the clouds plenty of times before and didn't even have trouble breathing. One of the few perks of being a bird hybrid.

Eventually my tight grip on the arm of the seat loosened. We were high enough up now that I could make an escape if Erasers suddenly popped out and tried to kidnap me.

Thoughts clogged my brain, and I had trouble distinguishing my mind from others. Was that me thinking about ice cream, or was a dead uncle on my mind? I didn't have a dead uncle (that I knew of), so this was unlikely.

An hour into the flight a lady pushing a cart came by. Mears, bread soups… the smells overpowered me. Wasn't airplane food supposed to be horrible? OH, RIGHT. BUSINESS CLASS, I remembered. (THE REASON THEY ARE NOT IN A PRIVATE AIRPLANE IS THAT MRS. FOWL DOESN'T WANT TO FREAK THEM OUT TOO MUCH WITH ALL HER RICHNESS.) T.V. on the back of the seat in front of us, comfy leather seats, great food… it all added up to one simple answer.

We ordered meat sandwiches, ravioli, pulled pork, chicken noodle soup, apple juice, and small bowls of ice cream. "We get really hungry," Gazzy explained when Juliet and Mrs. Fowl gave us odd looks.

"That'll be $67.99," the cart lady said, calculating numbers on a pad of paper.

"Are you sure you kids can eat all that?" Our adoptive mother asked.

Nudge twirled a strand of dark hair around her finger, saying, "Well, yes. We would eat more, but we can always get some more food later."

TIME SKIP

We got into another limo that was waiting for us at the gate. Mrs. Fowl kept talking on and on about random things, like the weather and gas prices and some mutated flower found in Russia

Nudge was enthusiastically carrying on the conversation with her, but I wasn't interested.

My wings were starting to get really cramped. Usually we all stretched them together at night but this time they felt really scrunched up.

"So how do you all like Ireland so far?" Juliet asked.

We all just shrugged and looked away. I noticed a ring in Juliet's ponytail, which appeared to be jade. The shiny rock glistened in the sunlight. "Why is that ring in your hair?" I asked.

She subconsciously touched it, keeping her eyes on the road. "No reason, really. It just looks nice, I suppose."

I knew a lie when I saw one. Her thought waves didn't feel right. I probed through her mind carefully, sifting through the information.

She used her ring.. to twirl around...and smack people in the face with it. How lovely. I suppose it fit into the whole bodyguard thing (which we DEFINITELY did not need), but it was still kind of weird.

Though I suppose that if you are in a life-or-death situation, you use all the dirty tactics you have.

We pulled up to a white stone mansion in the middle of nowhere within an hour, which I saw long before everyone else did. It had a huge front lawn (perfect for pretty much everything) and a forest bustling with creatures in the back.

I was too far away to detect any actual thoughts in the house, but I would hear them very soon. And who knew? Maybe I had siblings (I probably did, based on Mrs. Fowl's thoughts of those two little boys).

Juliet climbed out of the limo and opened the door all butler-like for us. "Thank you," I said as I exited the car. She simply nodded and took the keys (that I assumed were to the mansion) out of her pocket. As we walked down a stone pathway that led up to a large white door, I spotted a video camera.

I pointed the camera out to Gazzy and he saluted it and winked. The door of the house had four locks and a keyboard-entered code, only further proving how rich they were. I hoped our new "brothers" weren't stuck up snobby kids.

"Welcome to your new home," the woman butler said as she opened the doors wide. Behind the door lay a sparsely decorated entrance room, with swooping ceiling fixtures and large, plush couches.

A man was sitting on one of the couches, along with two toddlers. "Welcome home, Angeline, would you care to introduce me to my new children?"


	4. First Night

**So this is the first chapter of this fic that is actually mine cuz I adopted it from Lady Cocoa (as I mentioned in the summary). If you read this when she wrote it you'll want to go back and reread the first chapters here because I changed a few things in there. Please no haters. If you don't like it, I don't need to know. But please review if you have something nice to say. Also, please check out my other fics and my collaboration with AnnabethandPercy4ever under the username Hadestwins13. **

* * *

"This is Angel," she put a hand on my head, "Krystal, Zephyr, Jeff, and Nick," she finished with putting a hand on Fang's shoulder. Then to us, "Meet your father and your brothers, Myles and Beckett." OH LOOK I WAS RIGHT.

"What do you boys like to do for fun?" Mr. Fowl (I assumed) turned his attention directly to Fang and Iggy (who, may I remind you, were about fifteen years old by now).

Fang looked over Mr. Fowl, as though assessing whether we was a threat or not. "Not much. We've never had much time for fun."

"Why is that?" Mr. Fowl raised and eyebrow.

"We lived on our own for five years. Just us and a house in Colorado." Iggy said, leaving out that little bit about there having been another one of us.

Angeline's mouth dropped open in utter shock. Well, I couldn't blame her for looking that way. I suppose it isn't exactly normal for five kids to live on their own for even a little while.

"Juliet, show them to their rooms, please." Mrs. Fowl asked the butler.

Juliet ushered us up the grand carpeted staircase to the second floor. "You each get your own rooms next to each other up here, but we can move two beds into one room if it would make you feel more comfortable."

"We've been sleeping in the same room as other people for the last year." Nudge said. "It'll be nice to get some privacy again."

"Good," Juliet told her. "Because this is your room." She stopped in front of an ornate oaken door and dropped a key into Nudge's hand. "Have fun." We continued down the hall, stopping in front each door in order. I was the last to get a room, and stopped in front of the door next to Gazzy's, but Juliet kept walking to the next door. I was confused, but followed anyways.

Juliet turned and handed me my key. "Come back downstairs once you're settled, kay?"

"Okay," I said, and hovered the key over the lock. Then I looked back at her and asked, "Who's room is that between mine and...uh...Zephyr's."

Her face fell and she looked away for a moment, as though she were fighting back tears she didn't want me to see. "It used to belong to someone else. He doesn't live here anymore, but we haven't cleared his room yet. Don't tell anyone else I told you this."

I nodded and opened the door to my room. I stepped inside and set down my suitcase. The room had two full-length windows with thick white curtains lined in silver on the far side flanking clear sliding doors to a balcony. The queen-sized bed was similarly decorated with white and silver cushions. The walls were light pink, like cotton candy. It seems these people were expecting a normal seven-year-old. There was large blonde-wood dresser across the room from the bed that I put my three uniforms in. Then I searched my room for a good place to hide my journal. I checked the bathroom for a small nook I could slip it into to hide, but I didn't find anywhere good. Under the bed was out because the bed was on stilts and the book would be too easy to see. My walk-in closet had shoe-shelves, which would be cooler if I actually had that many shoes. I decided to put the shoes I was wearing on the shelves and went back out.

My toes sank into the plush carpet as I sat on my bed to think. Then an idea hit me. I quickly got up and ran my fingers along the wall, searching for any bumps or cracks that were out of the ordinary, then, BINGO. I put slight pressure on a place in the wall near my head, and a section of the wall slid neatly away. A perfect little place for my notebook. I quickly shoved it inside and left the room, locking the door behind me. I would have to search around the house for more of these secret hiding places.

* * *

Everyone else was already waiting at the dining room table when I came downstairs. The table was set with all sorts of food, more than any normal family would eat. I guess they learned our eating habits on the flight over. I sat down next to Fang, who put a reassuring hand on my shoulder as he helped me into the chair. I looked up at him and smiled. Dinner was amazing, by the way. I got to know my new parents-the only ones I'd ever had except for maybe that lying traitor, Jeb.

"Angel, you and Zephyr seem to look a lot alike," Mr. Fowl noted. "Is there a particular reason for that?"

"We're siblings by blood," I told him. "but all five of us are really close. We've been through a lot together."

He nodded, as though he could understand what it's like constantly running from danger just to live another day. But it's not like anyone with a real, normal life would possibly know what that's like.

We ate, we laughed, we had awkward silences, and we ate some more. It was so...normal. The life I had always wished to have all those nights when I cried myself to sleep in a dog crate between torturous tests and experiments. The life I used to think could never possibly exist. The life I had almost given up on, but had hung onto like a lifeline. It made me feel like this house could actually become a home.

* * *

I crept out onto my balcony that night to meet the rest of the Flock and stretch our wings. I shrugged off my windbreaker and my wings launched out as if they were spring-loaded. We all took off as one through the night sky, flying in a V formation the way geese do when they migrate. I just glided in the air without flapping for a while, letting the air sift through my pure white wings. Just feeling the pure bliss of the air blowing through my hair and ruffling my feathers. I loved the freedom of flight, the one good thing the Whitecoats had ever given us. I looked over at the rest of the Flock. Nudge, Gazzy, and Iggy were flying a little lower, pushing each other around and laughing. I tilted my head up to see Fang. He seemingly read my thoughts (even though I know I'm the only one who can do that). One of his rare smiles spread his lips ever so slightly. I grinned back. Today was a cool day.

* * *

**Hope you liked it! Please R&R for now this is KDP signing off.**


	5. Another Brother?

**HI! I'm trying to be reliable with this so hope you like this chapter. Artemis comes in for the first time here.**

* * *

I sat up in bed the next morning, instinctively ducking my head so it wouldn't hit the dorm ceiling. But when the blow didn't come, I remembered where I was and what had happened. I put on a fresh uniform (since I didn't have anything else to wear yet) and went downstairs.

Mrs. Fowl was sitting next to the toddlers, who were eating scrambled eggs with their hands. Gazzy and Nudge were already finishing off plates of biscuits, toast, fried eggs, and orange juice.

"Where's Mr. Fowl?" I asked, sitting next to Nudge.

"Upstairs, waking up the older boys." Mrs. Fowl answered. "Which reminds me, later today we are all going out shopping for clothes today so you all have something better to wear than those drab uniforms."

Juliet placed a plate of food in front of me and I dug in, showing no mercy. Iggy came down later, bumping into everything in his way. Gazzy got up and led him to the table by his hand.

"Tired this morning?" Angeline asked with a smile.

"No, I just haven't memorized this place yet," Iggy plopped down in a seat.

"What do you mean by that?" she inquired.

"He's blind." We all said at once.

"Oh….well…." Mrs. Fowl trailed off, probably not sure what to say to that.

Then I noticed Fang was sitting beside me. That used to make me jump, but I've gotten used to it.

"As soon as you're all done eating, we'll leave." Mr. Fowl said, coming in. "Hope you're ready for a day out."

* * *

"Nick, come out and show us," Angeline called. Fang opened the dressing room door and stepped out wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and a new haircut. Since his hair was usually so long, it was kind of weird seeing him with a Taylor Lautner cut. But it felt more normal to see him back in his usual dark clothes instead of the gray orphanage uniform.

Nudge had gone crazy shopping for dresses and designer jeans. She now had a full makeup kit which she could expertly use.

I had decided to get practical clothes, like sturdy pants and t-shirts. I also got a green army jacket full of random pockets to put stuff.

Iggy came out behind Fang wearing new clothes and some shades as well. Mr. Fowl smiled and gave them both thumbs up and a pat on the back. Mrs. Fowl's phone rang just then, and she excused herself to go answer it.

"How did you get so rich?" Gazzy asked Mr. Fowl.

"Oh….a few ways," Mr. Fowl seemed to be searching for an answer.

"Are you a criminal?" I asked suddenly. Mr. Fowl seemed pretty surprised to hear me say that. Well, it wasn't my fault, he was thinking too loud.

"Arty…." Mrs. Fowl was holding the phone a few inches from her ear, a look of shock plastered on her face.

"Yes, dear?" Mr. Fowl turned to her.

"No," she closed her phone. "I mean….Artemis."

Mr. Fowl's face paled drastically. Both of our adoptive parents just stared at each other, frozen for a while. Then Mr. Fowl leapt into action, gathering up the twins and heading for the door. "We're going to the port to visit someone." he said. "Grab your bags and hurry. Now."

* * *

Ten minutes later, we were hurrying inside a port house with windowboxes. There was an out of place electronic keypad next to the door, which Mr. Fowl's fingers stumbled over a few times before inputting the right code:0109, I read from his mind. Did that number mean something? A date, maybe?

Our parents barreled inside, still seemingly shocked from that phone call, then stopped, frozen in place at the people they saw.

There was an old man with a well-grown, scraggly beard, and a boy around fourteen with mussed up black hair and a tattered suit. "Hello." the boy said.

Mr. and Mrs. Fowl rushed forward and gripped the boy tight, stroking his hair and muttering things like "thought you were dead" and "all you have to say is hello?"

Fang coughed. Angeline turned, one hand still firmly on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kids, I nearly forgot." she turned back to the boy. "Meet Nick, Jeff, Krystal, Zephyr, Angel, Myles and Beckett. The older ones are adopted, Myles and Beckett are ours." the boy just nodded stiffly.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Iggy asked.

"Kid's," Angeline took a deep breath. "Meet your older brother. Artemis Fowl II."

* * *

**So I hope you liked this please no haters I will probably not be updating this saturday cuz i'm doing christmas then. until next time, Live, Love, Fangirl/boy**


	6. Artemis Fowl

"Older?" Fang asked.

"Yes," Mr. Fowl answered. "Well….he should be nearly eighteen."

"About that," the boy-Artemis-cut in. "I might need to explain a few things later."

Things were starting to make sense to me now. That room between mine and Gazzy's belonged to him, apparently he'd been missing for a while-about three years was my guess because of how old he looked and how old he was supposed to be.

"So you adopted some, that's….unexpected." Artemis stated.

"I thought I was going to go mad again when I lost you the way I lost your father," Angeline said, eliciting a wince from Artemis. "I needed a reason to keep going."

"It was my fault. I really did not expect to be away for so long." he apologized….sort of. "I am just glad to be home."

We were all sitting on the couches when our long-lost brother came back downstairs wearing a clean and neatly pressed suit. "I believe I owe you an explanation," he announced. "I had an...experiment problem. I somehow sent myself through a vortex of some sort. I came back as soon as I could, but what was mere hours for me was apparently years for you."

I jerked my head up when he said this. When he started, he sounded like a whitecoat explaining to new recruits what their job was-which was generally giving us painful tests and experimenting on us-but he was a little bit slower and more….something that I couldn't place. I decided to enter his mind and see what I could dig up in there. I concentrated on him, trying to see into his thoughts, but I was blocked out. This guy had a crazy powerful mind-block keeping me out of his head. Whoever he was, he was no ordinary kid. I decided I should talk to him on my own a bit later.


	7. Angels

We were all meeting in my room, as a Flock, to discuss what we thought of the surprise brother.

"He never smiles," Nudge said. "and his eyes are really creepy. Like looking in them could make you just do whatever he wanted you to."

"He reminds me of the whitecoats with all his smart talk and stiffness." Gazzy put in.

"Angel?" Fang looked at me.

"I couldn't pick anything up from him." I confessed. "His mind was blocked."

"People don't consciously block their thoughts without something to hide," Iggy said.

We all fell silent, thinking about what he could possibly be wanting to keep secret from the world.

"Hey guys," Nudge said from the window. "Should we be worried if he's leaving the house at," she paused to check the clock, "ten forty-five at night."

Fang glanced out the window behind her and looked out. "Recon time. Let's fly."

* * *

We soared overhead, keeping to the shadows and high enough that our shadows could be mistaken for a bird's, but keeping Artemis in our sights. Finally, he stopped at riverbend near an ancient-looking tree and stood as if waiting for something-or someone. We settled into the trees and watched, still and silent as a tiger about to pounce.

"I know you're there, Holly." Artemis said. "Drop you shield and come out where we can talk."

The air a few feet away from him shimmered and and figure appeared, to small to be an adult human, yet not quite human enough to be a child. I glanced over at Fang for an answer, but he kept staring intently at our brother.

* * *

"Hello, Artemis," Holly greeted me as she appeared. "How's everything at home?"

"Drastically changed." I told her.

"Yeah," she rubbed her arm, even though it was not cold this night. "Foaly's married now, can you believe it?"

"I have seven siblings now." I mentioned. "The house is much fuller than when I was last in residence there."

"Your parents must have gotten busy." Holly raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's not like that. Only the twins are actually theirs, apparently. The rest were adopted." I took a deep breath. "It is most definitely-"

"Hold that thought, Arty. My scanners are picking up other life forms in the area." she interrupted, putting her hand to the side of her helmet. "Just up there." she pointed to the trees behind them.

I turned to stare into the trees, but the darkness prevented me from seeing much. I decided to take a risk and call out to them. "We see you. All of you. Show yourselves now and explain why you were spying on us."

A shadow passed quickly overhead, almost too fast to spot. Holly and I turned to see a dark figure behind us. "Wouldn't you?" he asked. "If your brother was sneaking out in the middle of the night?" Nick stepped into view, crossing his arms.

There was a fluttering sound in the trees behind us, and we whirled again to see the rest of the adoptees grouped together on the ground. I was shocked, not because I had been followed, but because the youngest one was a displaying a pair of pure white wings.


End file.
